Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Getting herself looking at least acceptable, and finding she looked like she had a pretty nasty hangover, River sipped on her drink before a knock sounded and then Corvinus, Chuck, and the councilwoman Ms. Collasky entered the room, Corvinus and Collasky roaring at eachother in argument over River.

There, She's right here, looking like she drank the night away, There was no record of her moving about the tower after she was joined by Mouse, and if you want to know, ask her, or wake him up. But you will NOT go stomping around MY TOWER! Council Member or not! Corvinus yelled, looking like he was about ready to pop a vessel.

Chuck, looking between the two of them, snapped his fingers, and Collasky's reply was cut off as silence pervaded the room. "Knock off the shouting match, we're here, so show some fucking manners or I'll take this out of both of your hands, and do the asking myself." he said, Collasky looking both shocked that he'd been powerful enough to override her without any struggle at all, and extremely pissed that he'd done so.

Snapping his fingers again, sound went back to normal, and everyone turned to look at River. Good Morning Miss Faulk. Something has happened, without any signs of break in, or suspicious activity, and I'd veeerry much like to know where you were last night. Because I can only think of one person who was rumored to be able to get around any particular place so quietly... Can you answer that for me? Or can he? She said, jerking her thumb at Mouse who had woken up bleary eyed when the noise level had exploded.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River just turned her head to face the door when it opened, rolling her eyes and wincing in pain from the simple action. While they were arguing, she picked herself up, downed the last of her water, and stood, moving over to the group. "Good morning, how have you been doing since our last little chat, Ms. Collasky?" She asked brightly.

"Why yes, I'd love to talk about what I was doing last night. Mouse and I were on that there video game until about three thirty or four last night. And as I recall, there's one of those fancy 'monitor your children's gametime' features on that thing. I have no idea how to shut it off, so it should all be on there. It only logs hours, not times, but since you know when he showed up, it's really just a matter of simple math, aye? As for your accusation of me being the only one capable of flitting around through walls, I know of a pervy ghost and a vulpine in these very walls that would and have given me a run for my money, especially in the experience department. Not to try and place blame on them, of course, but then again, there are a fair bit more like them around, compared to me. Now, unless you have any other questions, I'd like to call down for some advil and a breakfast, and I'm sure Mouse isn't doing much better. Will that be all?"

All during the rant, she was slowly moving closer to the woman, her voice remaining bright, but her expression getting more and more serious as she went, ending in a passive glower a few steps higher than the council woman was wearing herself.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River, remaining outwardly calm the entire time, felt her inner voice still as well, her demonic side crushing her anger underneath a mountain of intent, the taint in Ferenze's meddling working directly towards her advantage as her eyes met Ms. Collasky's and the woman froze mid protest, unable to unanswer as River finished her statement, her eyes never once wavering or blinking under River's now powerful gaze.

River knew what this was, but she also knew that she shouldn't have been able to do it from this far away, even moving closer, in fact, all the programming she had gone through under Ferenze's care dictated that she COULDN'T Do what she was doing now, and that was tightly binding Ms. Collasky's emotions and directly influencing them to a degree.

With a long, trembling sigh, Ms. Collasky finally broke contact, closing her eyes and looking away when River blinked out of reflex, her anger seemingly gone, and her suspicions crushed under the weight of River's admittedly powerful will. No... No, you're right. We'll just check the machine... "Way ahead of you Ms. Collasky, here you are, these are the hours on display." Mouse interrupted, having seized the controller, and the opportunity when River had mentioned it. There, sitting on the screen, were displayed the amount of time River and Mouse had played, and what, and upon seeing it, Ms Collasky nodded.

I... I suppose gentlemen, that I was jumping to conclusions... Chuck, you're right, we should think first, Corvinus, I apologize, we'll run an investigation properly. Would you mind taking me to your security coordinator, and we can get started there, and no, I don't mind Chuck handling that for me in that regard either, or staying to see for himself. Ms Collasky said softly, seeming to have run out of steam for the moment, with Chuck sighing happily, and Corvinus shaking off his own anger for the moment and nodding.

Of course, River... Sorry for disturbing you, you as well Mouse. Both of you have a good morning. River, I have a delivery for you to take care of sometime around 3pm and would appreciate you meeting me in the penthouse at that time with Chuck, it's an important run. Corvinus said, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples as he excused the trio and they left Mouse and River in peace.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Mentally, River surprised the crap out of herself, a new pain lancing in her head as she somehow messed with Collasky's head, draining the fight right out of her.

"You too, eh?" She offered back at the Boss' well-wishes. "Three, gotcha. See ya then. Good luck dealing with whatever happened."

And then the group was gone, and she was alone with Mouse again. "Well, that was a hell of a wakeup call. I'm calling down for food, you want anything?" She said, striding over to the internal use phone while he answered, and phoning in some breakfast and whatever he wanted.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Yea, Bacon, and Something else rediculous, maybe eggs or something, just get me something traditional, I'm fucking hungry." Mouse answered, looking at the door, and back to River with a 'The fuck was all that' Look on his face.

"So... They can just storm in whenever they want? The hell, I mean it sounds like it wouldn't have been that way if Collasky wasn't there, but still, that seems like a pretty st... nevermind, I forget it's not all normal people who live here... Hrm. What do those lights mean? No one ever told me, something about someone called Bronn usually doing orientation and then they left. Granted... I wanted them to leave, but now that I've seen it, I'd like to know." Mouse added, looking at the odd fixture on the wall.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

“Blue is an incoming visit, yellow is a general alert, and red is something coming after you personally, hide or run away.“ she explained after ordering the food. “So yeah, sorta had warning. That woman is part of the mage council, or one of their flunkies. In terms of what they are to the tower, she seems a lot like a health inspector.“

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Note to self, Panic when Red. Gotcha. Still, not sure if I like it, but I'm sure they have reasons for that kind of thing. And Health Inspector? Not sure, seems more like the head of an inquisition, and she doesn't seem to like you all that much. Still... never seen anyone calm down that quick before." Mouse said, scratching his head and examining the fixture on the wall.

Sighing as he gave up, apparently deciding Not to take it apart, he looked at the clock and swore. "Well River, unlike you, my hours are pretty strict, I gotta run. Hit me up later?" He said, dashing out the door after the answer and leaving River on her own with some time to kill before making the delivery for Corvinus.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"You've obviously never worked in a kitchen before, health inspectors are the friggin inquisition." River answered with a laugh, flopping down on the couch when Mouse got off of it. She managed an answer before he was gone, chuckling. "Soon as I'm allowed the time, promise." She told him.

And then she was alone again. The walls receded some, and she slumped into her seat, wrapping her arms around herself. She could feel the time ticking away, the undeniable time limit she had pounding away like a heartbeat in her skull. She had nothing she could do right now. It was too early to try anything with Hervo, and she barely had an inkling of a plan anyways. She couldn't even really talk to him, not knowing where the man hung out if he wasn't running the portal.

Or could she. The walls honed in on that shot, and she groaned, digging out her cell and checking the contact list. she had been given his number after that first one, the one that started her slide to this sorry state. Calling it, she waited for him to pick it up. "Hey, it's me. I had some time to burn (a cringe passed through her at the word, her voice unchanged), figured I;d see if you had time for any tips if i get thrown into the time trial again. Really wanna see the look on that pair's smug faces when i steal their record, eh?" She said when he picked up, chuckling.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Hervo picked up, though the sound of gunfire was heavy in the background before a siren went off and everything stopped. Tips? I thought you hated that. I mean, sure, if you want to talk, I'm down in the shooting range on sublevel 23. Just head on down, I'll be there. Hervo said, his surprise evident though his voice was level.

River felt a deep satisfaction settle in the back of her mind at starting to actively hunt the Thaumaturge, however, shortly after hanging up the phone, a sharp pull on her attention practically dragged her to the window, looking east.

Fredrick Gwyn. You have 12 hours, he must be killed. Ferenze whispered into her mind, the image of a man in his mid 50's with thin tortoise shell glasses and a brown suit flashing through her mind as well for a moment, the image fixed. Although short, he was thin with thinning, wispy platinum hair and a hunched demeanor. Seeming to be hunched over a computer of some kind, before the image pulled back, and it showed him at the train station on the far eastern edge of town, before everything went back to normal, another job being added to her roster, so to speak.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Tip's i'm fine with, it's shoves off of buildings that bother me." River answered, the walls in her mind cutting back her rude tone before it started, even as she referenced Hervo's story about himself and Jess. "I'll be down in a bit, then."

She barely had chance to pocket the phone before she felt the demon's grip close in again, walking over to the window stiffly, her gaze sliding over the buildings towards the edge of the city. Visions and words flashed through her mind, a target and a freshly ticking clock added to her burden. One not good enough for you. Great. She answered once the presence had left again, flexing her hands into fists and back reflexively. Glancing around, she realized there was nothing in her apartment she felt okay with venting her frustration on, but she was headed to a firing range. Much as she hated guns, maybe the loud bangs might shake something loose, though she doubted it.

Nothing was really needed to prepare, so she just set out, locking her apartment after herself and taking the elevator down. Once she got there, she'd do the paperwork and sign out a random handgun that looked big and loud, then stalked the lanes, looking for Hervo. The thought crossed her mind to simply use the gun on the man, but there was no driving force behind it. Now was not the time, apparently.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

As if River's day couldn't get more annoying, as she reached for the doorknob, another sharp pain rushed through her head and down her spine, incapacitating her for several moments, the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears, before the sound of multiple voices began to push in on her from every direction.

Sounding much like Ferenze did, River quickly realized she was hearing the thoughts of people nearby, 2 or 3 of them, the nearest tenants on her floor? Having to take a moment to breath, River had to fiercely concentrate for several moments to silence them, and only then did the pain subside to a dull roar, and then disappear completely. Her new nature was starting to come into bloom more significantly...

Once River had made the decision to block out the voices, the thoughts and emotions, it seemed it would stay that way until either something gave again, or she decided she wanted to know. And it wasn't as if she could ask for training either.... She had been the one to destroy the machine after all... and had then denied it was her fault rather then lying about having fits after using the Device.

Heading to the elevator, River had no more issues reaching her destination, and the man behind the heavily guarded counter was all too happy to sign out a glock to her for practice. The standard side arm of the security forces for the Tower, she was handed several magazines and 2 large 100 count boxes of ammunition in .40 caliber.

Carrying her bundle of signed out stress relief, River found Hervo in his own booth at the far end of the range, steadily decimating the 10 ring of an FBI silhouette target at a respectable range, sound cancelling muffs over his ears the same soft blue as the set she'd been given with the magazines, and it was only after a prod to the shoulder that he noticed her. Faster then I thought. I was hoping you'd call for drinks, but this works as well. What would you like to know about. he said after the siren had gone off and a red light on the wall clicked off, the range being reset as the 4 or 5 other people stopped firing, Hervo looking curious but optimistic as he looked at River with a smile.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Her face contorted into a rictus of pain, the woman pressed her head against the still-closed door as the voices pressed into her head, having to wait several moments until she could force them back out. Starting to move again, she began to regret her rash decision all the more.

She worked her way towards her meeting with Hervo, taking a look at the pistol from all angles before grabbing the clips and ammo and taking them with, and offering the man a wan smile when she finally got his attention. The lights signalled a target reset, and he took his ear protection off, letting them have a few moments to talk. "Didn't know they thought booze and guns were an acceptable mix, probably wouldn't have anyways." She admitted at his first comment, before the reason for her appearance came into the discussion.

Well gee, I'm trying to find a way to kill you, cause the demon in my head said so. bringing you to him also works, if that's more plausible. popped through her thoughts, but obviously reaching no further than that. Instead, the walls sunk in a little further, and her body responded on it's own. "i don't even know man, just looking for anything useful. Hmm... Distances seem skewed in there, things are further or closer than they seem, or change every time you check. What's up with that?" She asked instead, smirking.

She worked her own gun as she listened, slowly fitting shells into the clip one by one before sliding it into the pistol herself, stopping just short of cocking it, resting it on the waist high table in front of the range itself until the targets had been reset.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Ahh, that's the air there, and it has something to do with the powers working in whatever area you're in. In there, the air is thick with demonic power, almost literally, and it warps your sense of distance and time. The closer you are to a human center though, like a city or the tower, the more normal things get, the energy being more directed then say, out in the desert, where it's literally chaos. You could take one step, and travel 100 hundred miles, or walk for days and get no more then a few feet ahead. Some demons there can even see and effect it, so they can travel through certain places a lot faster and more freely then others can. Hervo said, reloading his own clips.

As a new target slid into place for him, at the 25 yard line, and one slid up along side it for River, Hervo jerked his head a little and fit his hearing protection back on, before the siren sounded again, and the red light blazed.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Wierd." River answered, frowning. She wanted to ask about Ferenze, but couldn't manage that either, something in her convinced that it may draw Hervo's attention to places it shouldn't be.

The point was quickly made moot in any case, the range sorting itself out, a second target appearing beside Hervo's, assumedly for her own use. She took a pair of earcups off the wall for her own use, not wanting to hurt her own hearing, regardless of what may shake loose, and picked up her gun again, pulling the slide back and flicking the safety off.

The siren rang out and she started firing alongside Hervo, at a somewhat slower pace, having to deal with the kickback of her larger than usual handgun. She didn't have the best aim, but considering she normally eschewed guns as much as possible, it was still respectable, a little under half the shots hitting the target, a few of which hitting well enough to down a person, if the target downrange had been a living thing.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

As the siren sounded again, and the range set to clear, River's target zipped up to her stall for her to look at. She'd done well for someone not used to handling any handguns at all, and Hervo grinned as he peaked around the stall. Looks like you're slanting to the right a bit, squeeze the trigger slowly, don't pull it, that way your barrel wont pull to the side at the last moment, should help. And we have a 10 minute intermission to reload, talk, what have you, so please, ask away. Or~ Join me for a drink and talk my ear off, I'm not picky. It's just so... Dreary, down by that monolith, so many old ghosts, puts me in a nasty mood. Sorry if I've been a bit short with you. Hervo said, his smiling fading as he seemed to take a trip in his mind, before snapping back again and starting to feed rounds into his expended magazines. The center of his target was completely savaged...

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

River chuckled slightly, looking at the difference in targets between them. "Heh. They're usually a bit closer when i try using guns." She offered in explanation, nodding at his advice, and again at his suggestion. "I gotta run later today, so I shouldn't be drinking. I can sit and chat though, if that's where you're going. As for talking your ear off, I'm expecting somewhat the other way around. Questions are usually shorter than answers after all." She replied with a smirk.

"And speaking of that monolith, what's it about? Is that the only place you can make a portal? Are you there to stand guard, or sommat?"

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

Bah, that damned Monolith. It's a piece of stone, or metal, no one is really sure, but it's very very old and used to sit in the center of stonehenge. It was picked up by a nobleman, and eventually found it's way here to the tower. That damnedable thing is half responsible for the witch hunts. It's not the only place I can open the portal, but it's the only place someone else can from the other side. And it works both ways sadly. Demons can use it to drop into our world, and more importantly, so can angels, and we're a lot more worried about them, then we are the demons. If you could imagine a creature that was so powerful, that it's very utterance, a single word from it's lips, could destroy a city, then you have an idea of what an Angel is. Just be grateful they have more rules then we do, and are expressly forbidden from interfering unless a Demon is involved, and even then they go to great lengths to ensure they're never seen. They use a strange kind of magic that we've been trying for decades to understand, and we can't even get started, it's just so far outside what we know that we can't draw any parallels. Hervo said, leaning against the side of the booth before smiling.

But yes, I'm there to stand guard, and before you ask, no, we can't use it to travel to wherever the hell angels come from, we rightfully have no idea. The magic I use is demonic at it's routes, so I can open the gate to hell, demons need to use our magic to get here, and Anything needs to use angelic magic to get to them. It's like holding a very unique key, and since I'm one of only 3 people who uses the magic, I spend a third of every day, sitting by the portal, ready to lock it down, which I can do, but it's extremely tiring. I think I stop at least 1 incursion every day. Heck, the one time I failed, and I did fail, Jessica's stupid pet Slip got out and she spent a week hunting that thing down, before deciding she wanted to keep it, and as much respect for rules as she has? Getting between her and it is like inviting her to eat you.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"Stonehenge, eh? That's that giant space calendar over in the UK, right?" She asked, shrugging. "You think they had a schedule for incursions, or something?" She asked, nodding along with his response.

"What about the creatures in there? I saw the creeps wandering around everywhere, and the thing that looked like Frank Herbert had a nightmare, anything else I should be looking out for?"

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

"All kinds of things really, just depends on where you are, and what you're doing. If you were to go underground, you'd find things completely different, and then of course there are the monsters of each part of the globe. Anything that has ever inhabited a nightmare, including Nightmares, will be down in hell somewhere. Even freddy krueger. Personally, I hate the horror movie industry for precisely that reason... Honestly? I met the crocodile from Lake Placid once, swimming in lava. Strangest damn thing I've ever seen apart from Swamp thing, and a strange little black pixie." Hervo said, thinking about things a little.

"Despite my time there, I really didn't see half of what's there, and I don't really want to think on it either. There's a demon for each of the cardinal sins, and a few new ones, fallen angels... really, our area is pretty tame..."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Mazes within a Steel Jungle (Shrike7)

“Well, our area is where i‘m most worried about, unless we plan on running time trials elsewhere. Right?“ River responded. “i spent the last time just following the destruction, this time i should be able to just skip ahead and keep ahead of them, if i play it smart.“

She. Had finished looading her own gun by then, slipping the full-again clip in and glancing towards the target area. Still some time left. Nothing really different internally, which was not surprising, but depressing all the same. She pressed to ask about Ferenze again, but still couldn‘t, so she shrugged instead.